Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-03-05

Are they worth s152' he asked,
gravely.
Possibly"
"Then reckon it's fair trade. Ye see
! told them l was a Californian from San
Jose, and hadn't anything about me of
greenbaeks. l had three slugs with me.
Ye remember them slugs ~
did. The slug was token is
sued in early days-a hexagonal piece of
gold little over double the size of a $50
gold piece-worth and accepted for $50.
Well, handed them that and they
handed rue the watch You see, them slugs
made myself outer brass filings and iron
pyrites, and used to slap EN- down for a
bluff on the boys in game of draw poker.
You see, not bein' reg lar Gov ment money,
wasn't counterfeitin. | reckon they cost
me, countiD' time and anxiety, about SIS,
If this watch is worth that its about
square game, amt it ?"
! began to understand the man from San
Jose, and said il was. He returned his
watch TO his pocket, toyed playfully with
the chain, and remarked, Kinder makes
man look fash'n'a ale, don't it?"
l agreed with him. But what do you
intend to do here?p I asked.
Well, I've got cash capital of nigh
onto 500. / guess until l git into reg lar
business I'll skirmish round Wall street
and sorter lay low" We shook hands and
parted.
A few days after met him on Broadway
he had another new suit, and only five dis
tinct colors were visible. But this, l had
occasion to believe, was accidental.
/ asked him if he had been 10 the ball.
He said he had. That gal-and a mighty
pert gal she was, too-was there, but she
sorter fought shy of me. / got this new
suit to go in, but those walters sorter run
me into a private-box, and l didn't get
much chance to continue our talk about
them checks. But that young Teller Wall
ford was mighty perlite. He brought lots
of fellers and young women round to the
box to see me, and he made up party that
night to take me round Wall street and in
them stock boards, and the next day he
called for me and took me, and / invested
$500 in them stocks-maybe more You
see, we sorter swopped stocks. You know
I had ten shares in the Peacock Copper
Mine that you once were Secretary Off
But those shares were not worth cent.
The whole thing exploded years ago."
That's so, maybe-you say so. But
then didn't know anything more about
Communipaw Central or the Naphtha Gas
light Company, and so / thought it was a
square game. Only realized on the stocks
l bought and come up out of Wall street
with about $500 better"
l looked in his face; it was immeasur-
ably serene and commonplace. began TO
be a little afraid of the man, or rather, of
my want of judgment Of the man, and after
a few words we shook hands and parted.
1t was some months before | again saw
the man from San Jose. When I did 1
found that he had actually become mem
Der of the Stock Board, and had little
Office in Broad street, where he transacted
his business. My remembrance going back
to the first night met him, inquired if
he hadrenewed his acquaintance with Miss
Morrell
summer, and | run down there fur a
week
And you talked with her about the
baggage checks2"
No" he said, seriously, she gave me
a commission to buy some stocks for her.
You see. l guess them fash bile fellers
sorter got to runnin her about me, and so
she just put our acquaintance on 9 square
business footin'. l tell you she's right
pert girl. Did you hear the accident that
happened to her?n
had not.
Well, you see, she was out yachting,
and managed, through one of these fell
ers, to get an invite, too. The whole thing
was got up by man what they say s goin'
to marry her. Well, one afternoon the
boom swings round in little squall and
knocks her overheard. There was awful
excitement-you'ye heard about, it maybe?''
No But | saw it all with a romancer's
instinct in q flash of poetry This poor
fellow, debarred through uncouthness from
expressing his affection for her, had at last
found his fitting opportunity. He bad
Thar was an awful row" he went on.
q went out on the taffrail, and there,
dozen yards away, was that purity creature,
that pert gal, and Z"
You jumped for her?p said hastily.
No." he said graveiy. let the other
fellow do the jumpin'; sorter looked ON
| stared at him 10 establishment.
No. he went on seriously. He was
the man who jumped-that was Just his
put his line of business. You see..if
had waltzed over the side of that ship, and
cayorted in and hummuxed round and
finally Topped to the bottom, the other man
would have jumped, nateral-like, and saved
her, and ez he was goin' to marry her any
way don't exactly see where I'd have been
represented in the transaction. But don't
you see, eff after he had jumped and hadn't
got her he'd gone down himself, I'd hev
had the next best chance, and the advan-
tage of havin' him out of the way. You
see, We don't understand mel don't think
We did in Californy,"
Then he did save herr"
of course Don't you see she was all
right2 II he'd missed her I'd clipped in.
Thar warn't no sense in my doin' his duty
onless he failed
Somehow the story got out The man
from San Jose, as butt, became more pop
ular than ever, and, of course. received in
vitations to burlesque receptions, and natu-
rally met grea' many people whom 9TH
erwise he would not have seen 1t was OBJ
served that his $700 was steadily growing
and he seemed to be getting on in his busi-
ness Certain California stocks, which
had seen quietly inferred. in the old days,
in the tombs of their fathers, were magic
ally resurrected, and l remember, as one
who has seen Il spirit, to have been shocked
as I looked over the quotations one morn
ing to have seen the CHASTITY face of the
Dead Beat Beach Mining Company,
roughed and plastered, looking out of the
columns of'the paper At last a few peo-
pie began to respect, or suspect, the man
from San Jose. At last suspicion culmi-
mated in this incident:
He had long expressed wish to belong
to a certain fashionable club, and with a
view of burlesque he was invited to visit
the club. where q series of ridiculous en-
tertainments were given him, winding up
with q card party. As passed the steps of
the club house early the next morning /
overheard two or three members talking
secretly:
He cleared everybody out. Why, he
must have raked in $4,000
Who2v l asked.
The man from San Jose
As I turned away one of the gentlemen,
victim, noted for his sporting propensi-
ties, followed me, and laying his hand
upon my shoulder, asked:
TELL me fairly now. What business did
your friend follow in California ~
- He was a shepherd"
A what2'
" A shepherd. Tended his aocks and
herds on the honey-scented hills Of San
Jose
Well, all I can say is, d-n your Cali
fornia pastorals Y